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The Los Angeles Dodgers’ start of the 2026 season was supposed to be Alex Vesia’s first as a father, but the unthinkable happened.
Before the World Series, the relief pitcher left the team to deal with a “deeply personal matter” and did not pitch in the Fall Classic.
Days after the Dodgers won the World Series, he and his wife announced that their infant daughter had died.
Vesia was back in Chavez Ravine Thursday for opening day, which his wife said was “very bitter sweet.”
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Alex Vesia of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks back to the dugout during Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers at Dodger Stadium on October 16, 2025 in Los Angeles. (Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
“What I would give to have my Sterling girl here, always carrying her in my heart,” Vesia’s wife, Kayla, said in an Instagram post.
At the year’s first spring training news conference, Vesia called his wife “the strongest person I know” and “a support system for me as much as I am for her.”
“Life can change in an instant. For us, 10 minutes is all it took,” Vesia said in February. “Sterling Sol was the most beautiful girl in the world. We got to hold her, change her diapers, read to her and love her. Our time together was far too short. Kay and I will keep these precious moments and memories to ourselves.
Alex Vesia of the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on May 28, 2025 in Cleveland. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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“Stepping away from the team, the brothers that I go to war with every day, was hard, but it was also an easy decision because my family needed me. We still watched every pitch of the World Series, and for us in so many ways, it was a light in our darkness.
“I wasn’t prepared to not bring my little girl home, but we carry her with us every day. It’s been hard, but we’re doing well.”
Sterling died between Game 2 and Game 3 as the series was tied at one game apiece. During the Fall Classic, Toronto Blue Jays relievers wrote Vesia’s jersey number, 51, on their hats.
Kayla Vesia and Alex Vesia attend Netflix Is A Joke Festival Presents: Dodgers Comedy Night at Orpheum Theater on May 8, 2024 in Los Angeles. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix)
Vesia didn’t hit in the Dodgers’ 8-2 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks to open the season, but he’ll get a chance to get on the mound Friday in Los Angeles.
Vesia has a 2.36 ERA over his last two seasons.
